Cadherins are a superfamily of transmembrane glycoproteins that regulate cell-cell adhesion during development and tissue homeostasis (Gumbiner J. Cell. Biol., 148:399-404 (2000); Yagi, et al., Genes Dev., 14:1169-1180 (2000)). The intracellular domains of cadherins interact with cytoplasmic proteins such as catenins and p120, which form the basis of cadherin attachment to the actin cytoskeleton. Cadherins have five extracellular Ca2+ binding domains and a small cytoplasmic domain that is highly conserved among the classical cadherins. Members of the classical cadherin family include P-cadherin, E-cadherin, and N-cadherin. Cellular adhesion molecules such as cadherins are considered to play a significant role in the cellular connections of cancer and metastatic cells (Furukawa, et al., Microscopy Res. Technique 38 (4):343-352 (1997)). P-cadherin expression in normal adult tissues is low and is restricted primarily to myoepithelial cells and the basal layers of stratified epithelium (Shimoyama, et al. Cancer Res. 49:2128-33 (1989)). P-cadherin is upregulated in inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's disease and colitis (Hardy, et al., Gut 50:513-519 (2002)). A large body of evidence now also reveals that aberrant P-cadherin expression is associated with cell proliferation and with tumors of the colon, breast, lung, thyroid, and cervix (Gamallo, Modern Pathology, 14:650-654, (2001); and Stefansson, et al., J. Clin. Oncol. 22(7):1242-1252 (2004)). Human P-cadherin was reported to be the antigen recognized by the NCC-CAD-299 monoclonal antibody raised against a vulvar epidermoid carcinoma (Shimoyama, et al., Cancer Res., 49:2128-2133 (1989)). Modulation of P-cadherin mediated adhesion and intracellular signaling is expected to result in decreased proliferation and survival of tumor cells in vivo. Accordingly, in view of the pivotal role that P-cadherin appears to possess in cell proliferation and solid tumor progression, it is desirable to generate antibodies to P-cadherin that can provide a therapeutic benefit to patients with a variety of cancers.